Apple recalls MacBook Air models over faulty flash drives

Apple has issued a product recall on a range of MacBook Air models said to be affected by a faulty flash drive issue, with a trade-in scheme set up.

Affecting 64GB and 128GB MacBook Air models bought between June 2012 and June 2013, Apple has confirmed that those with affected models will be offered a free replacement for their faulty machines.

“Apple has determined that certain 64GB and 128GB flash storage drives used in the previous generation of MacBook Air systems may fail,” an official statement from the Cupertino based company has announced. The company added: “Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) will replace affected flash storage drives, free of charge.”

A problem that could affect hundreds of thousands of laptops, the newly confirmed MacBook Air problems could cause users to lose all of their data unless they regularly back-up their troubled flash drives.

“If your drive is affected, we strongly recommend that you do not install any operating system updates or new applications. We also recommend backing up your data on a regular basis until you receive a replacement drive,” Apple has warned.

Apple has revealed that users can test their MacBook Air’s flash drive to see if their computer is affected. The company has released a MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1 through the Mac App Store, with affected drives automatically pushing users to a problem page once the update has run.

With MacBook Air owners able to have their free replacement drive up to three years after buying their machines, the company has stated that users can schedule an appointment to receive the fix via Apple retail stores, authorised Apple service providers and through Apple technical support.

For any owners who have already paid to have the issue fixed, Apple has confirmed that it will refund users the repair costs they have already splashed out.

“If you believe you have paid for a repair or replacement due to this issue, contact Apple regarding a refund,” the company stated.

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